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The challenge for Brandon Morrow in 2012 is crystal clear. If he’s going to match his extraordinary stuff with extraordinary results, he has to find a way to go deeper into ball games.

Manager John Farrell has thrown down the gauntlet to all his starting pitchers to find a way to get, on average, to the seventh inning as a minimum, and more if possible. It’s a mandate Morrow embraces.

“I think only Ricky (Romero) did a good job of that last year for us,” said Morrow Monday. “It showed in innings pitched by our rotation. If you took Ricky out of that equation, we’d probably be dead last.”

Because of his big arm, expectations have probably been out of proportion to Morrow’s experience. This year will only be his third as a full-time starting pitcher. He went from 146 innings in his first year with Toronto in 2010 up to 179 innings last year. At times in the past, his workload has been carefully managed but the shackles are off.

On the basis of last year’s 30 starts, if he can find one more inning per start, he would top the 200-inning barrier and provide a solid seven innings-per-start average. Both he and manager John Farrell think Morrow’s best route to find those extra 30 innings is through more effective use of his very good curve ball.

“That’s something I’ve struggled with throughout my career: throwing too many pitches per inning,” said Morrow. “I get a lot of foul balls because a lot of my stuff has been around the same speed range: hard slider, hard fastball. Guys just sit ‘hard’ and then they’re able to foul off some good pitches. By incorporating my curveball, which is my biggest change-of-speed pitch, I’m hoping it is going to either get some weaker contact earlier in the count or maybe even some more swing-and-misses.”

A lot of pitchers are able to find those extra innings through the concept of pitching to contact. For a guy like Morrow who has tried that route, it is a bit more difficult because of the power of his game. In the past, when he has tried to pace himself, he has often gotten himself into a mess.

“That’s kind of the troubles I got into last year when I was trying to pitch to contact and had to ease up on some pitches to force that contact,” he said. “It wasn’t my best stuff and I was getting hit around a little bit, then some frustration would take over and I’d say ‘to heck with it, I’m going to stick with my best stuff’ and you go hard at them and fall into the trap where guys are able to sit hard and able to wear you down by fouling pitches off.”

Late in the season, Morrow found his sweet spot, pitching back-to-back shutouts by pitching with a more aggressive attitude. At the time, he described it as “pitching with a chip on my shoulder.”

“I think it’s more about the conviction with each pitch delivered and throwing each pitch aggressively into the strike zone,” he said Monday. “Early in my career I was aggressive with a lot of pitches but they may not have made it to the strike zone or only been in the strike zone for a split-second. Hitters recognize that and lay off it. As I was learning to throw those pitches into the strike zone, I maybe had to take a little bit off them, be less aggressive.

“I’ve gotten to the point now where I believe I can be aggressive with those pitches in the strike zone. That’s the mentality I’ve been working toward.”

Essentially, what he has done is refine his command while not compromising velocity. It is that command, also, that will allow him to throw more curveballs for strikes and force opponents to not sit on the fastball.

“Rather than a hitter coming into the box geared up to face something hard all the time — a mid to upper 90s fastball and a hard slider — that’s where we can get that effect,” said Farrell. “Right now his curve ball is a little more consistent than his changeup and that’s where he can get that separation in his velocity.”

It all makes sense in theory. What Morrow envisions is a rotation that is growing together in talent, in experience and in accountability.

“Ricky had a great year but another step forward for him would be unbelievable and put him in the top few pitchers in the game. I see the same thing for myself and a big rebound from (Brett) Cecil. He had the 15-win season but with the struggles he had last year, he’s been definitely motivated this off-season.

“(Henderson) Alvarez was great in a short stint and still, he’s so young with plenty of potential. He had consistency, command and presence out there when he was only, what, 21 last year? I think Kyle (Drabek) is going to bounce back. His stuff is too good. And Dustin (McGowan), he’s healthy and looking good.

“I’m not saying it’s going to happen, but if everybody pitches to their potential, we would have one of the best rotations in the league, absolutely.”

On that score, Morrow, with all his excellent tools, could make a big statement all by himself.